2021 Social Media Predictions

Get ahead of next year's social, marketing and consumer trends

Dec 22, 2020

This is a recap of some of the best 2021 prediction lists to help you get a handle on next year’s social, marketing and consumer trends

Where is the Instagram Aesthetic Headed in 2021

Later’s blog has a slew of Instagram predictions for 2021 but ever since this Atlantic piece predicted the death of the Instagram aesthetic I’ve been curious what the revival would look like.

This 2021 prediction list isn’t that surprising if you’ve been on IG this year. Reels, text-heavy Carousel posts for social advocacy, UGC (user generated content) regrams are probably all a part of your 2020 content plan already.

But pay attention to No. 2, visual brand storytelling. More than ever before, potential customers are using Instagram to search for brands and businesses rather than Google.

This means thinking about the experience someone has the first time they land on your profile page. (No matter what Instagram says, the grid does matter.) Is there a clear and consistent brand story, an explicit call to action (shop, watch, listen, sign up) and an easy way to learn more like your business email?

Takeaway: If your target audience is 18 to 29, Instagram is the new Google.

Pinterest Predicts

As a visual platform, Pinterest’s trend report is one of the prettiest. There are 150+ trends with data and brand tips you can tie to your fashion, beauty, travel, finance, food and more businesses. Spices! Road trips! Entrepreneurship! Charcuterie boards! They’re also trying to create a more welcoming space for creators this year, including the addition of Story Pins for creators. And while influencers can’t monetize directly from the platform, it does still drive organic web traffic.

Takeaway: The world is a dumpster fire but hope for a better, brighter and more stylish future lives on.

Consumer Trends 2021

Toilet paper sold out and sourdough starter was the DIY project of the pandemic but which 2020 trends are going to stick around beyond COVID? The New Consumer had one of my favorite consumer recap and prediction reports if you’re in the Home, Apparel, Grocery, Beauty, Fitness and Pets space.

Come for the unexpected data (Oat milk is the fastest-growing food category — up 204% during COVID-19) and stay for the 2021 forecast:

Most of the shifts toward e-commerce this year are here to stay over the long run. And in food and beverage, a trillion-dollar market, these shifts are underestimated.
Direct-to-consumer is here to stay and will continue to grow across categories. Large strategics will accelerate their acquisitions of DTC brands, at higher multiples.
The future of consumer starts with small, niche brands that know how to build community and relationships.
It’s virtually impossible for there to be too many beauty startups. Younger consumers demand more brands!
Home fitness is the story for at least another year — and maybe for good.

Takeaway: COVID-19 is a reset button for brands and consumer loyalty is up for grabs.

24 Big Ideas That Will Change Our World

LinkedIn’s 2021 forecast covers a broad array of topics across business, tech, global warming, etc. but let me cut to the two predictions that really stood out:

Instead of living ‘above the store,’ we’ll live in it.
The author is quite literally proposing to turn vacant retail space into housing. But the phrase (which I am 💯 borrowing to use in class and/or at a conference) also speaks to two other trends we’re seeing during the pandemic: how work-from-home may become the new normal for office workers and how creator-entrepreneurs are turning their living spaces into business incubators to launch new ventures.

The pandemic will unleash a new wave of entrepreneurs.
Silicon Valley spawned Slack, Uber and Airbnb in the wake of the last Great Recession as high unemployment encouraged would-be business owners to pursue their own great idea rather than rely on a turbulent job market. The author predicts that we’re going to see another big shift from employee to entrepreneur when the dust settles from this crisis.

Takeaway: The next big idea is being whiteboard-ed in someone’s living room.

25 Predictions for Social Media Marketing in 2021

If you’re looking for a very tactical list for what to focus on next year, Social Media Today’s list breaks down platform-by-platform predictions for what's coming next in the world of social media marketing.

Some of the listings that stood out:

Everyone wants to your shopping dollars: eCommerce will be a major focus for Facebook (and Instagram and TikTok and Snapchat) next year

Wearables are getting an upgrade: Facebook and Apple (and possibly Snapchat) are working on AR (augmented reality) glasses. Side note: There is also a Japanese contact lens maker working with a U.S. tech firm to create AR contact lenses.

Audio is a big bet. With the success of podcasts and voice user interfaces (like Alexa and Google Assistant) it’s only natural that audio continues to be explored. Twitter just launched Spaces and they aren’t the only ones who think the future of social media is audio social apps like Clubhouse and Discord.

Takeaway: The next BIG thing is [insert: audio, video, AR, VR, in-stream shopping, live, creators, community, data insights, personalization and partnerships]

Social Strikes Back

Andreesen Horowitz’s Social Strikes Back forecast gleefully and graphically points out that the social holy trinity — Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram — are having to make way for other niche networks.

This is especially true in the categories of:

friend discovery (platforms that allow members to discover and connect with one another, often through common interests)
vertical communities (those that enable further engagement around specific subjects or activities)

Along with its predictions about audio, shoppable video and community, there’s a comprehensive recap of how the stickiest, most addictive, most engaging, and fastest-growing apps stack up; where we are on our way to the Metaverse (watch Ready Player One if you still have questions); and the monetization models we’ll borrow from China like livestream tipping, VIP subscriptions and platforms that help creators sell products.

Takeaway: Every new company will soon be a “social” company. Focus on community efforts that allow users to connect and communicate around shared interests.